


hiding under shadows

by nectarwrites



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Brownham, Fluff, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Hannigram - Freeform, M/M, Non-Canon Relationship, alternate season 2, but Matthew makes Will feel strange things, non-canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:26:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25513522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nectarwrites/pseuds/nectarwrites
Summary: Will’s eyes rolled skyward as they simultaneously sipped on their shared milkshake. “God, you’re corny. But I’m hoping that I’ve buttered you up enough that you’ll say yes to leaving with me?”Vanilla sprayed their chipped table as Matthew violently coughed into a napkin, smacking his chest as he waved off Will’s concerned look. “Yeah— wait, you mean out of state?”“That’s the plan.”“Of course, I’m coming with you, dummy. I’d go with you anywhere.”Will could only offer a strained smile.
Relationships: Matthew Brown/Will Graham, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 8
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

There was a storm brewing in the dark grey sky on the day Matthew Brown was released from BSHCI. He remembered walking out, ready to phone a cab to come pick him up when a beaten up Volvo stopped in front of him and the window rolled down to grace his eyes with a familiar face that he believed he’d never see again unless it was in his haunted dreams. 

“Mr. Graham?”

“Long time, no see, isn’t it?”

The ex-orderly chuckled, his green eyes fixated on blue ones as if his idol would disappear like he did everytime Matthew opened his eyes after closing them. He opened his mouth to ask his fellow hawk why would he be here after the botched murder attempt. 

“I’m sorry,” he said instead, his eyes broke contact in favor of staring at the cracked gravel.

Mr. Graham frowned, his head tilting to the side before his mouth formed an  _ “O”.  _ “Matthew, don’t apologize for that. I’m glad you didn’t succeed in killing him because I shouldn’t have asked you to do that in the first place. I let my bitterness, hurt, and thirst for revenge cloud my judgement. I don’t expect you to forg—”

“I forgive you.”

The frown on the older man’s lips deepened. “In order for this friendship to work, you’re gonna have to take me off the pedestal and see me as an average human who makes mistakes.” He paused. “And that means calling me Will,” he added as an afterthought.

A quick-witted rebuttal was bubbling out of Matthew’s throat when realization dawned on him. “You want us to be  _ friends _ ?” He asked incredulously.

“Well… yeah? I mean, that’s why I’m here.”

Matthew blankly stared.

Will sighed, pinching his nose. “Matthew, why don’t you get in and we could go grab a bite to eat?”

The grey sky brightened into a pale blue as a starstruck, crooked smile spread on Matthew’s face as he clambered into the Volvo.

The profiler watched in amazement as Matthew wolfed down a third burger before motioning towards Will’s untouched curly fries. 

Will raised an eyebrow. “I would say no, but I remember the fresh fruit you’d put on my tray or when I’d get a heavier portion.” He pushed his basket of fries over. 

Matthew nodded his head in thanks, swallowing the rest of his double stacker. He wanted to ignore the senseless part of him that wanted to blurt out  _ ‘It wasn’t done out of the kindness of my heart. I like you a lot and I thought that maybe you’d like me back if I was the one source of light in there. If I could make you look at me just once the way you look at Doctor Lecter.’  _ Instead he opted for an inside joke: “If anything, you shouldn’t have given me the fries because we both know Chilton’s food is shit and is worse than a death sentence.” Both ex-prisoners burst out laughing, clutching their sides and Will was half-grateful that the quaint diner was almost empty. 

“Alright—” Will started, placing a twenty dollar bill on the greasy table.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing? I’m not finished,” Matthew interjected, crossing his arms as eyes narrowed into slits.

“Matthew. I get that you were forced to eat shit for God knows how long, but you’ve eviscerated three double stackers and two large helpings of fries.” Disbelief colored Will’s tone

A snicker sliced through Matthew’s serious façade. “I don’t want more food. I want one milkshake in whatever your favorite flavor is, so we can do that cliche where we share it.”

Will shot him an unimpressed look, but motioned for the waitress to come over anyways.

Ten minutes later the overworked waitress placed a vanilla milkshake and two straws on their table before walking away. A shiteating grin split Matthew’s face as he leaned on his elbows, feeling sated as he leaned over.

Will’s eyes rolled skyward as they simultaneously sipped on their shared milkshake. “God, you’re corny. But I’m hoping that I’ve buttered you up enough that you’ll say yes to leaving with me?”

Vanilla sprayed their chipped table as Matthew violently coughed into a napkin, smacking his chest as he waved off Will’s concerned look. “Yeah— wait, you mean out of state?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Of course, I’m coming with you, dummy. I’d go with you anywhere.”

Will could only offer a strained smile.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

“Wait. We’re not chasing after that man-eating doctor, right?” 

“I thought you’d go with me anywhere?” Will asked.

“I—yeah. I meant it, too,” Matthew mumbled, staring out the window at the empty road that was mostly dark except for the small sliver that was illuminated by the full moon.

Will glanced over, a teasing smile dancing on his lips. “I’m messing with you, darlin’.” His hand flew over his mouth at both the endearment and southern drawl.

“Oh—”

“Don’t.”

“But—”

_ “Matthew!” _

“Okay! Okay! I’ll behave.” Matthew threw his hands up in surrender, but the tent his black skinny jeans told a different story from his words.

Will murmured an exasperated  _ ‘thank you’  _ and the car fell back into a silence that was filled with _ folklore  _ playing on the radio.

“So, where are we going, Captain Graham.”

“Matthew, if you don’t behave I will go back to BSHCI as an actual murderer if they find your body.” Will turned the radio down and stole another glance at his oddly charming companion. “I don’t know. As far as I can get us away from—” He vaguely waved in the direction of Virginia and Maryland.

“When are your friends expecting you back?” 

“I don’t have friends, except you. The other person who I thought was my friend had me locked up.” Will’s knuckles whitened around the steering wheel as his jaw tightened. “And I sent in my resignation email, then I put up my dogs in a trustworthy shelter before I came to get you. No one knew that I was leaving, but I’m sure my disappearance has been noticed if they care.”

Matthew studied the hard, tired lines surrounding Will’s eyes and his pursed lips. He knew that the ex-profiler was expecting him to ask if they were coming back, but Matthew couldn’t bring himself to ask. He didn’t want to hear Will offer to take him back, only to disappear and become a fever dream of Matthew’s wildest imagination.

“That’s sad, but I want to clarify if we're hunting down your ex-boyfriend who’s a serial killer.” Matthew paused. “And eats people.” 

Will tossed his head back, chuckling and his eyes gleamed with mirth. “He was still in Baltimore when we left.” His joyful face sobered up, adopting a somber look. “He’s only my ex-friend. We never… never got to that point.” His hardened tone left no room for further discussion regarding the subject of his almost relationship with Hannibal. “Florida. We’re going to Florida,” Will said after a moment of tense silence, he gave Matthew a watery smile. “How do you feel about staying with me in Florida?”

Matthew took a deep breath and intertwined his hand with Will’s hand that wasn’t on the steering wheel. 

“Where else would I go?”

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Hannibal was working on his latest drawing— Will gazing into his eyes the way he looked at that orderly while they held each other in a bloody lover’s embrace by an eroding cliff that was on one of Hannibal’s properties, and was in the process of choosing between a 2B and 4B for Will’s eyes when Crawford’s caller ID flashed on his phone.

“Hello. How m—”

“Will’s gone AWOL. I need your help right now.” 

One of Hannibal’s eyes twitched at the interruption before he collected himself and calmly asked if anyone had been to Wolf Trap, and if so, was there a sign of a violent struggle.

“What? No struggle—” Hannibal sagged as a silent sigh of relief escaped his lips and he thought  _ ‘Well, I don’t need the murder suit, then.’,  _ but Crawford’s next words shattered his relief. 

“But the dogs are gone and apparently he sent an email detailing his resignation.”

The 2B pencil snapped in Hannibal’s white-knuckled grip. “What are you saying?” He asked. Although both men knew what happened, Crawford answered his pointless question. 

“He packed up and left. There’s nothing in his search history indicating where he might’ve gone.”

‘ _ Gone. He was never supposed to leave. This… this isn’t a part of the game.’  _ Hannibal hung up and hurled his mini stag against the wall, dropping to his knees as a wave of hot anger rendered his vision red.

“This will not do.” Hannibal slid on his jet black overcoat and turned off the lights, locking up the office and leaving the stag lying broken on the floor. He didn’t care about his later appointments or what the mess would be interpreted as if someone came to his office for a wellness check after he disappeared. The only thing he cared about was finding his darling Will that broke one of the rules of their intimate game of mongoose and serpent.

“What do we know? Any leads?” Hannibal crossed his arms, impatience and hurt brewed in his beady eyes. This investigation into his love’s disappearance wasn’t moving as fast as he would like it to since his mongoose was smart enough to not leave a paper trail, but he can’t help the pain twisting itself around his cold heart at the fact that Will would simply run away from  _ him _ , from his becoming, and most importantly, from  _ them.  _

“We know the last place he was spotted at was Chilton’s hospital.”

Hannibal’s head snapped up. “He was working a case? I thought you said he quit.”

“No. He picked Matthew Brown up.”

Hannibal’s bones became rigid as he tried to stop his shaking, but the red hot anger turned cold fury threatened to possess him.

“It’s not a kidnapping, then.”

“Correct. Chilton said they were talking for a little while and that Matthew was smiling the whole time. So, we can assume they’re moving together.”

The therapist’s hand flew to his temple, massaging the irritation out of it. “I’ll be gone for some time. I’ll see if I can follow their tracks as I do know Will fairly well.” ‘ _ Even if I didn’t know that he would do this. Maybe he’s getting back at me for what I did with Alana, but doesn’t he know that she could never hold a candle to him?’ _

Crawford nodded his approval as if Hannibal needed or wanted it. “Good luck. Check in wi—”

But Hannibal was already gone, thinking of which recipe Matthew’s blood could be used in. Hannibal felt like his body was bleeding out every second that Will’s gone and since Matthew's to blame it is only fair that he knows how it feels to have every ounce of blood drained from his body.

  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Once Will felt they were deep enough in the south, they made their first stop at a roadside cafe on the borderline between Georgia and Florida, so Will could fill up the Volvo at the Shell next door and buy a small coffee to calm his nerves and snacks in case his friend was hungry while Matthew decided to be useful and buy a box filled with a variety of donuts at the cafe.

“Matthew.”

“What?” He asked, a twisted glazed donut lodged in his mouth muffling his words.

Will let out an amused huff before pushing Matthew in the car. The sand flying up behind them as the  _ “Welcome to the Sunshine State”  _ sign quickly came into view.

“Will! Pull over!”

The ex-profiler sharply turned off the road, parking the car next to the welcome sign. His eyes narrowed in confusion as Matthew hopped out, gesturing for Will to do the same.

“What are you up to? I really don’t think we have the ti—” Matthew tugged him in front of the sign, throwing an arm around his neck before pulling him close and clicking a button on his phone.

A white flash rendered him speechless for a moment. 

“Perfect. We can get back in the car but I’m driving this time. You’ve driven for too long.”

Will shrugged, slouching against the passenger seat as his alertness faded into drowsiness. He liked to believe that he could trust Matthew to not hurt him while he was at his most vulnerable. His eyes fluttered close as the car’s vibrations lured him to sleep.

The car was quiet besides Will’s soft snores and occasional whimpers of  _ “Hannibal”  _ that made Matthew flinch. He didn’t know where exactly he was supposed to be driving to and he was kind’ve lost since he’d never left Baltimore before this road trip, but the sight of immaculate white fishing boats floating in the shimmering waters made him think that Will would appreciate Fort Lauderdale. As for himself, he didn’t care where he ended up as long as it was with Will.

Matthew frowned as a wave of sharp, fleeting pain in his stomach rendered him breathless. He parked the Volvo in a CVS parking lot and glanced at Will. The sleeping man never said that he couldn’t use his money as Matthew had done back at the cafe. However, he didn’t want to keep taking from their cash supply, which only left Will’s card. Whispering an apology and a promise to pay him back, Matthew left the sleeping man and made his way into the store.

“You been travelling?” The clerk asked, bagging a ginger ale and crackers.

Matthew hadn’t thought of it before, but he wondered what he looked like after spending almost 12 hours in a car. 

“Yeah. My friend and I finally got here after driving twelve hours from Baltimore.”

“Jesus,” the cashier said, swiping Will’s card before handing it back along with the groceries. Matthew nodded his agreement and murmured a thanks.

When he got back in the car, Will was wide awake and icily glaring at Matthew.

“What? If you’re mad that I didn’t buy you anything, then I can run back in and get you something,” Matthew offered, attempting to placate Will.

“That’s far from what I want you to do. I think you’ve done enough running in.” 

A hot flash of anger bubbled in Matthew’s stomach as he took a sip of his soda, spluttering when Will snatched the bottle and threw it out of the window.

“Will, what the  _ fuck  _ is your problem?”

“ _ You  _ are the fucking problem, you dumbass!” Will shouted, the veins in his reddened neck prominently throbbed.

“What are you trying to say?”

Will sighed, his body sagging as he pressed a hand to his temple and started counting. “Matthew, how did you pay for this?”

“You’re mad because I used your card? Maybe you should’ve thought about that before running away with a penniless ex-prisoner! You’re making a big deal out of me trying to save our cash because this pity party of a trip isn’t fixing your issues!”

The ex profiler’s hand curled into a fist. “I brought cash, so Hannibal and whoever the fuck else is looking for me wouldn’t be able to track us by our paper trail! And the only pity party on this trip is your pathetic ass running away with someone who will  _ never  _ fully return your affections!” Will’s hand flew over his mouth, his eyes widening as his trembling hand reached for Matthew.

A dry, bitter chuckle escaped Mattthew’s sneering mouth, his hand smacking Will’s away. “I guess one of us had to say it, huh? Well let me provide  _ some  _ insight for you. If I’m a pathetic ass for running away with someone that will never fully return my affections, then who are you rejecting someone that is wholeheartedly in love with you for a man that played mind games and framed you for his murders?”

Will fell quiet, his mouth tightened in a thin line as he swatted at his hot tears.

“At least I’m a pathetic ass for someone who fully loves me back.”

Matthew sharply gasped and the car fell into a tense silence as they drove to a nearby motel in an unspoken agreement that they would rest first and figure out where they stood in the morning.

Hannibal had zipped up his dark brown leather duffle bag and was placing it in the backseat of the Bentley when his phone rang.

“This is Doc—”

“We have activity on Will’s credit card.”

Hannibal’s eye twitched as he suppressed an irritated sigh at the man’s rudeness and quickly recalled the cons of killing Crawford at this point of time.

“Where?”

“A CVS in Fort Lauderdale. A ginger ale and crackers were purchased.”

The psychiatrist’s eyes rolled skyward. “If we didn’t have Chilton’s eyewitness testimony placing Will with Matthew, then I would be inclined to say that we don’t know if it was him in the store. Nonetheless, we have his testimony, but it was Matthew using the card as Will isn’t stupid enough to give us a lead by buying something so mundane.”

“So, are they still travelling together?”

Hannibal sighed. “We have to assume they are until proven otherwise. I’m booking a flight now.”

“Alright. Bring my profiler home, Doctor,” Crawford demanded before hanging up.

Hannibal briefly considered the idea of him and Will making Crawford their first kill together, but concluded that Will’s mind needed a little more priming.

“Well. I suppose I can’t take these after all,” Hannibal murmured, staring at his ketamine filled syringes and sharp needles.


	5. Chapter 5

Although Will had always poked fun at Hannibal for killing people simply because they committed acts of rudeness, he found himself lying alone in the queen sized bed debating whether he should kill the clerk for giving them the stupid room or the guests who booked the last room that had two beds, forcing him to share one with Matthew. His body deflated into the hard mattress as he realized that he’d have to not only apologize to the younger man, but explain what he was trying to say in the car.

Matthew emerged from the bathroom in a pair of Will’s sweats and crawled under the scratchy comforter, turning away from Will as he scooted as close to the edge of the bed as possible.

“Matthew. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean what I said about never fully loving you. Well, not the way that you took it, but I’m not saying it’s your fault for misunderstanding. Wait, that doesn’t even make sense. Shit, nevermind,” Will rambled, inwardly cringing as his nervousness butchered his attempt at a well-meaning apology.

Silence swallowed them whole and Will felt like it would last forever and Matthew was still lying there, facing away from him, so maybe he was asleep and didn’t hear a word of Will’s failed apology, but Will couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing when his chest started moving fast, but no air was coming in or out and—

“Now who sounds like a pathetic ass.”

Will’s jaw dropped and he smacked Matthew’s shoulder, but that only made him laugh as he turned to face Will.

The laughter faded as an uncharacteristically serious expression possessed Matthew’s face, but his hawk-like eyes peered at him with curiosity. “If you weren’t saying that you could never love me, then what were you trying to say?” He asked, trying to keep a neutral tone because he didn’t want to trigger Will’s empathy as that would most likely cause the man to sugarcoat the truth. God knows sugarcoating wouldn’t help them in the long run.

“I do love you. The problem is I know my love would never be as intense and passionate as yours is for me.”

Matthew facepalmed, then gazed at Will with nothing but amusement, acceptance, and  _ pure  _ adoration.

“You think I don’t know that? I may be a pathetic ass, but I’m not blind. Not when it comes to you.” Matthew paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “You told me to see you as a human, but what you don’t understand is that you are like a God—”

Will whined, a rebuttal forming on his lips, but Matthew clamped his hand over his mouth.

“Unreceptive and painful. Sometimes I want to hate myself for loving you, but you’ll smile or try to look irritated when I do something stupid, but your eyes give you away because they have nothing but fondness in them, then my hatred dissolves into a million butterflies. And that’s when I learned that I cannot control with respect to whom I fall in love.”

A part of Matthew feels bad for causing Will distress about his feelings, but he’s selfish and needs to get this weight off of his chest that’s been suffocating him since he got in the Volvo at BSHCI. He knew that Will wasn’t toying with his feelings just like he knew that Will felt guilty about loving him when he knew that at best his love would be free-flowing creek compared to Matthew’s love that was a dark ocean slowly eroding a cliff over the years. If he’s in love with an  emotionally distant profiler that’s smitten with a cannibalistic serial killer who has hurt him on so many levels, then that’s who he’s in love with.

“A part of me will always be possessed by him, but I love you too and I know that’s shitty and unfair, but it’s true.”

Matthew tenderly brushed his thumb against the salty, warm tears forming in Will’s glassy eyes before they fluttered shut as Will leaned in.

“I know you won’t ask me because you’re not selfish, but I’ll answer anyways. I will take whatever you are willing to give me and never hold that against you,” Matthew whispered, closing his eyes as Will’s lips met his.

“Thank you,” Will said, a content sigh escaping him as Matthew pressed a kiss on his forehead.

“Do you still want to settle in Florida?” Matthew asked.

_ ‘Do you still want me by your side?’ _

“I mean we can’t keep driving away forever, but it’d be nice to go somewhere nice like California.” Will caressed Matthew’s face, the small smile on his face softening the dark bags under his eyes.

“Find or build a cottage somewhere in the mountains by a nice river, so you can go fly-fishing.”

Will murmured his approval. “I can build us a hammock between two big oak trees, so we can cuddle outside and watch the leaves change colors when Autumn arrives.”

“I don't think that’s a good idea. I fell from one of those and landed headfirst on a nicely sized rock when I was like five.”

“No wonder you’re so fucked up in the head.”

A burst of loud, mirthful laughter erupted from the couple and the repetitive pounding on the wall only caused Will to laugh harder, leaning into Matthew’s shoulder to suppress his laugh.

And they fell asleep just like that, Matthew pulling Will close to his chest as his legs wrapped around the older man’s waist while his head made its home on Will’s arm.

  
  


Sunlight streamed through the motel’s window, casting an ethereal glow on Will’s face as he leaned further into Matthew who was fast asleep, basking in the liquid warmth from his coffee. Although they hit a hard spot last night and said things they didn’t mean, he was grateful for the ex-orderly as he provided a sole, constant reminder of his old life back in Wolf Trap while encouraging Will to take care of himself so he wouldn’t worry his friend, especially when they both knew that if Matthew wasn’t here his liquid warmth be a bottle of Daniels instead of coffee. When Will had mustered enough strength to get up again, there was a knock on the door. Wariness blossomed in his chest as he knew the motel that they were holed up in wasn't the type to check in on its customers, much less in the morning. He pulled on a pair of black jeans, hiding a switchblade behind his back as he opened the door. His mouth twisted into a confused frown as a bowl of steaming hot food too fancy to be from room service along with an elegant, handwritten note greeted him in lieu of a human being. 

_ Looking forward to seeing you again. Enjoy the protein scramble. _

_ -H.L. _

A cold pang shot down his spine as he frantically scanned the parking lot for a black Bentley, his shoulders sagging with relief at the lack of the sleek, luxurious black car. He shrugged, turning to go back in his room when a hand smacked against his mouth while an arm tightened its grip on his neck, pressing him against a firm chest until his body fell limp.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

The feeling of ice-cold sheets jerked Matthew awake.

“What the hell…?” He wondered, stumbling around the small motel room. “Will? Will! Where are you?” 

Only silence answered his frantic calling.

“He’s gone. God, I’m such an idiot.” Matthew groaned, collapsing on a tattered couch. He slowly dragged his hands down his face, wondering what was he supposed to do now— stranded and penniless in Florida. He swung his foot out and a flash of black hit the wall. Matthew’s eyes narrowed as he realized that was Will’s wallet. He threw the door open and saw their Volvo still shittily parked. 

“Okay, I know I’m not the brightest tool in the shed but this makes absolutely no fucking sense. Maybe he left his wallet and car here so I wouldn’t think that he abandoned me. Yeah, Wait—no, Will’s a genius. He leaves his wallet and car here so I wouldn’t think that he abandoned me when he’s actually long gone. A counter-forensic thing or something?” Matthew pondered. A squishing sound under his foot caught his attention. 

“Aw, he’s so sweet ordering me room service. This looks pretty nice for a Motel 8. Too bad the attendant dropped it.” 

His eyes landed on a smeared, handwritten note. A sigh of relief fell from his lips at Will leaving him an explanation for his whereabouts. His wave of calm became a stormy ocean once he read the note, then at the breakfast that was splattered on the ground. “Kidnapping? Real classy and mature, Lecter.” He stormed back inside and snatched Will’s keys.

A blindingly white beam of light hypnotized Will’s wearily blinking eyes.

“You know, my dear Will, the light makes your eyes look like a sunlit ocean,” Hannibal said, firmly cupping Will’s cheek.

Will’s head lolled, he didn’t know how but the motel room looked better, if not cloudier. “Matthew, you’re such a goddamned sap—” A resounding slap made a wave of searing pain on Will’s cheek.

“You will  _ not  _ call me that name! Do I make myself clear?”

_ ‘Hannibal must’ve injected me with a muscle relaxant or something— my thoughts are slipping out of my mouth.’  _ Will concluded. 

“Are you seeing anyone?” Will fixed him with an inquisitive stare.

“I’m not. Are y—”

“Because you really should. It might help with your anger issues and separation anxiety.”

Hannibal stared, his confusion wiping his mind blank. He briefly pondered if he injected too much of the drug into Will’s drip but he knew that wasn’t the case.

“I don’t have the time for this. We need to talk about your cheating before we leave for the airport.”

At the mention of an “airport” Will’s mind began sobering up as panic flooded in. 

“First off, it’s not cheating when we aren’t together. Secondly, I am not going back to Jack and the FBI.”

“Oh, is that the problem? You’ve become attached to your pet psychopath? And we aren’t going back to Maryland or Virginia, I’ve always wanted to show you Florence,” Hannibal calmly spoke, loosening the leather straps on Will’s hands and ankles. “We will have a grandiose mansion that will be in perfect distance to the city.

“Matthew isn’t my pet psychopath. He’s my psychopathic boyfriend similar to how you’re my ex-psychopathic friend and therapist.”

Hannibal stilled. “If you do not consider us friends, my dear Will, then am I to assume you want to be romantic partners?”

“No! You always assume things and that’s why we always end up in these situations because of how quickly you jump to conclusions.”

A wave of pain washed over the void where his heart used to be.

“You don’t want anything to do with me? You don’t want to achieve your becoming after all of this effort.”

“I want absolutely nothing to do with you. Also, I never asked to become so that’s on you for wasting your time and effort.”

  
  


Hannibal and Will held eye contact until the former lowered his head in defeat at the look of grim determination in Will’s eyes.

He took out a scalpel and pulled Will into him, burying his face into the crook of the younger man's neck while feeling Will’s soft curls for the last time. 

Hannibal pulled back and placed the scalpel in his mongoose’s hand.

“What? You want me to take this as a morbid reminder of the man who ruined me?”

“No. I want you to take it and gut me but hold me while you do it.”

“Hannibal, no. Me running away from Jack will be in vain if they chase me down for murdering you, especially when they don’t know you’re the Chesapeake Ripper.”

The therapist let out a sigh of defeat as he helped Will out of the chair. “It pains me to have to do this but—”

Will slammed his elbow into Hannibal’s throat, then injected him with one of the needles until the older man fell limp in his arms. He left him on the floor, then grabbed Hannibal’s keys and made his way to the therapist’s rental car.

Matthew paced back and forth as fear chilled his bones. Although kidnapping was not classy and mature, if done right it didn’t leave a trace of the victim’s whereabouts. Will may never come back whether it be the doctor holding him captive or of his own free will to stay with the psychopath who’d probably treat him to a life of luxury. He would be okay if Will decided to stay with Lecter because the ex-profiler deserved happiness and living a luxurious life was a surefire way to being happy.

He was curled into a fetal position on the lumpy bed that felt cold without Will being curled into his arms when there was a loud banging on the door. Matthew groaned, knowing that it was the clerk coming to tell him that it was time to check out but his limbs were heavy so he ignored the increased pounding. The pounding ceased, then the door flew open and Matthew went into shock at the sight of a seething Will Graham.

“Have you been in the damn bed all day? Seriously?”

“Of course not. I thought you left me until I read the note. I went to the car but I realized that Lecter didn’t leave a trail for me to follow and now you’re here. How are you here?”

Will shrugged, crawling next to Matthew. “He started to say that it pains him to do something but I felt like he was about to drug me again so he could fly us to Florence. So I knocked him out before drugging him and stealing his rental car to come back to you.”

Matthew murmured his understanding, wrapping his arm around Will to tug him closer. “What do we do now?”

“Well, Florida is compromised. So there’s California?”

Matthew fell back on the bed. “More driving. How fun.”

“Ah, shut up. You know you love being trapped in a car with me for God knows how long.”

“I do.”

  
  
  
  
  



	7. ~epilogue~ living in the daylight

“No wonder you fell. That’s not how you fucking sit—” Will shut his eyes and pressed a fist against his forehead, doing what Matthew called his “signature look” to which Will had responded with “No wonder it’s my signature look when you do nothing but dumb shit.” and promptly smacked Matthew when the younger man had smugly replied, “There’s nothing else to do but you.”

Will pushed his boyfriend off of his lap, readjusting his position in the hammock that he had spent all afternoon building while Matthew stood off to the side with a glass of sweet tea in his hand as he made unconstructive criticism that caused Will to curse him out in Cajun French as he was in no mood for his lover’s bullshit during one of California’s hottest heatwave. When he felt satisfied with his new position, he firmly tugged Matthew on top of him before trapping him underneath his legs as his boyfriend was special enough to cause both of them to fall out of the hammock. Gently rocking side to side as if they were on a boat in serene seas, Will fell asleep holding Matthew in his arms like a lifeline.

“If you’d let me, I would be honored to change one thing about you,” Matthew had said one night when they were feasting on lemon-crusted salmon and honey cakes on the patio.

The way the white fairy lights Matthew had bought and insisted on putting up for their dinner that night painted a portrait of a flowery, green meadow blowing in the summer breeze in his eyes dissipated Will’s self-critical thoughts regarding his inability to cook like Hannibal.

“And what, pray tell, would you change about me?” Will expected it would be his lingering awkwardness or maybe the small reserve of love that he still held for Hannibal who quietly returned to Baltimore and avoided Jack, choosing to pack up everything and head to Florence to resume his reign as  _ Il Monstro _ . At the beginning of their exchanging of postcards and letters, Hannibal had told Will that he drugged him prematurely as he was trying to say that it would pain him to let Will go but he would do it. Will had sent a sincere apology on the back of a San Diego postcard in addition to requesting what was he up to nowadays, which was when Hannibal had said that since he couldn’t dedicate his life to Will that he was currently staying on course of living a solitary life solely focused on killing without the trouble of sincere human relationships and friendships.

“Your last name.” Matthew smirked, collecting their dishes before making his way into the cottage.

“My last name?” Will whispered, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. It was nonsensical that Matthew would change his last name if he could as the younger man enjoyed referring to him “my little graham cracker” despite the threats of bodily harm and painful death that Will always gave him, but the threats lost their heat each time he voiced them until they became a running joke shared between the two.

Will’s eyes fell on a dark blue velvet box. He jumped up, his hand knocking over the glass of wine as he took a sterling ring out of the box, then a string of curses mixed in Cajun French and English flew out of his mouth.

“Matthew! You fucking  _ fils-putain _ !”

“Am I hearing a yes?” Matthew hollered from the kitchen.

Will grabbed a knife off of the patio table as he stormed into the kitchen ready to kill his beloved for making a mess of his feelings, only to collapse in tears at the sight of Matthew kneeling on one knee.

“Will Graham, I told you about the time I fell off a hammock and landed headfirst on a rock when I was a kid and you told me that it was no wonder that I was so fucked up in the head. Well, I confess that I’m a pathetic ass who didn’t learn his lesson because falling for you is like being pushed off a cliff into the waiting arms of the rowdy ocean waves and rocks below, but I did it anyway. Will you do me the honor of making us a pair of mated hawks?”

Will sniffled, wiping his face on the sleeve of his suit jacket. “You and those damn hawk metaphors. Yes! you lovable, insufferable idiot.”

Later, that night as the newly engaged couple cuddled in bed, Will faced his  fiancé and asked in a deadpan tone, “You know that you can’t call me your little graham cracker anymore, right?”

“Why not?”

“Because my name is going to be Will Brown.”

“...”

“You were too proud of yourself for coming up with a clever joke that you didn’t think this through, didn’t you?”

“I retract my earlier statement. I don’t want to change your last name. From now on, We will be Mr. and Mr.Graham.” 

Will lightly slapped Matthew’s shirtless, tattooed chest. “You’re only changing your last name because you want to annoy me for the rest of our life by calling me your little graham cracker.”

Matthew pressed a trail of kisses on Will’s face and down his neck. “No, I just want to be known as yours.”

The former profiler softly cursed at his  fiancé ’s sappiness before burying his face into the crook of Matthew’s neck, teetering the edge of sleep when Matthew’s dead serious voice pulled him back to the land of the living.

“You’re going to have to plan an elaborate surprise or something, then pop the joke.”

Will closed his eyes again and counted to ten, then sighed. “I’m signing up to be annoyed for the rest of my life.”

“I think you mean  _ our  _ life but yes. Now, you can sleep peacefully knowing that you just made the best catch of your entire fishing career, my darling hawk.” Matthew pressed a kiss on Will’s cheek and cradled the older man into his arms.

A soft, blinding smile fell on Will’s face as he gazed at his sleeping beloved and he fell asleep, mentally thanking Hannibal for putting him in the prison where he met his fellow hawk.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! i hope you liked it! <3


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